Automation or automatic control includes the use of various control systems for operating equipment such as machinery, processes in factories, inventory management processes and network switching systems, for example. This control can include steering, guidance, and stabilization of vehicles such as ships, aircraft and other applications and vehicles with minimal or reduced human intervention. Some processes have been completely automated as witnessed by newer applications including driverless vehicles, drones, and factory/household robotics, for example. Automation has been achieved by various supporting technologies to the control systems including mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, electrical, electronic devices and computers, often in combination. Complicated systems, such as modern factory controls, airplanes and ships typically use all these combined techniques.
Many of these control systems have fixed parameters for guiding operations of the systems. These may include control programs that respond to one or more inputs to the control system. Based on the inputs, various control decisions can be made which affect further automated actions of the system. Although the inputs determine a limited set of operations for the controller, the inputs often do not provide any information as to the quality or types of materials encountered by the system. As such, some control situations can be compromised if this type of information is not suitably processed by the control system.